People Do Not Understand Black Panther [Marvel Comics]
This is somewhat of a rant about sentiment I've seen online about Black Panther needing to be away from Wakanda
# It's a lack of understanding the core of the character
T'Challa is a leader of a nation before he is a hero. *Almost* an inverse to Steve Rogers thematically. Who is a good man before he is a soldier/Captain America. The candid truth about T'Challa may choose his nation over doing what is right. That's the core tension of his thematic narrative. Compassion vs Duty.
When you take Wakanda from T'Challa, you fundamentally take away one of his core pillars that informs his characterization. You are self-sabotaging your narrative because you are writing a weaker character.
Anyone deciding to make T'Challa not a king/president of Wakanda, subconsciously have already revealed a lack of interest in writing Black Panther as a character. You can just go write any stoic superhero. His best characterizations has that push and pull of him being a nation leader first. not a hero.
As I've alluded to, T'Challa lacks a thematic point WITHOUT his kinghood.
* Superman is more human than us all. If he didnt grow up "relatively" normally on earth, he cant embody being human. That's his thematic point. * Steve Rogers is a good man before a good soldier. That's his point. It would be extremely damaging to his core characterization if he were not a soldier.
For theses characters you cant write a sincere narrative when you take away their core thematic tension. Yet for some reason, people CONSISTENTLY want T'Challa to not be king of Wakanda. Then folks wonder why his comic runs are of inconsistent quality.
**Black Panther being a king is not a feature.**
# IT'S THE POINT
This is not like making Bruce Wayne poor or stripping batman of his resources. That's material. Bruce being rich has nothing to do with Batman's thematic tension. *Batman thematic tension is trauma.* Thats why in alternate universe, where Martha and Thomas Wayne lives, Bruce isn't even Batman. (Notice how even Absolute Batman, still has Thomas Wayne killed in a mass shooting)
If you want to see how Black Panther acts with limited resources for example, the answer is not to stripe the status or wealth from T'Challa. It is to strip the Status and Wealth **FROM WAKANDA**. And then see how the character deals with **that** situation.
Anyone who says that T'Challa needs to be "reinvented" separate for Wakanda doesn't understand that. Wakanda is not just a place. It's T'Challa's "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility".
Who is Black Panther without Wakanda? That's an elseworld story. Like asking who is Superman growing up on earth. Hmm. Sounds like Absolute Superman doesn't it?
# Counter Argument I've Seen
>He doesn't have to be King to express the Duty vs Compassion dynamic.
I think idea behind this counter argument seems fundamentally sound on the surface. But it's still diluting the strength of his thematic narrative. Black Panther would be no different from Captain America. That's a loss of character individuality. The Black Panther mantle is already a foil for the Captain America mantle. What separates T'Challa from Steve is the legitimate authority. If you want to read a story about a super soldier who fights for his nation, then you already have a plethora of options.
Heck, Shuri quite literally can embody that super soldier aspect all on her own based on how she has been used in comics. But for some reason, Marvel prefers to strip T'Challa of the role of Black Panther AND King. A different conversation all together.